A Change of Heart
by summer-echo-11
Summary: Nine-year-old Will Turner loved to play pirates. But an adventure set off by a letter & medallion from his father that he hasn't seen in five years changed all that. What happened to him to make him despise pirates so much? - 3-shot
1. Chapter 1

_hi everyone! this takes place about five years before Will was found floating in the ocean by Elizabeth, and it's when Bootstrap Bill sent Will the Cortez's gold medallion after the mutiny. hope you all like it, and as always, constructive criticism and reviews are welcome! enjoy! :)_

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"Come here Will! I have a letter from your father!" Anna called to her son.

Nine-year-old William Turner was playing pirates in the hot, summer sun with his two best friends, Scott Hemingway and George Lanser, when he heard his mother calling him. "Sorry, I have to go. But I'll be back soon so I can defeat you all. I'll be the most ruthless pirate in the seas!" he yelled as he flung his wooden sword one last time at George.

Will raced in the sweltering heat to his home where his mother waited for him. He could see her waiting on the porch that overlooked the sea, sitting on the rocking chair that his father had made for her. She could usually be found there, waiting for her husband to come home from his merchant trip. He stumbled on a rock lying in his path and fell to the ground. His pants were ripped, and a little stream of blood started to run down his legs. However, he ignored the pain and ran right up to Anna, asking for the letter.

"Here it is, Will," she said as she gave it to him.

Will grabbed it out of her hands and started to rip the envelope open. It was his first letter in two years!

"It looks like he gave you something too. It felt quite heavy," she said as she smiled at her son. She looked down at Will's legs and exclaimed, "Will! What happened to you?"

Will looked down at his tattered pants and injured knees. "I tripped over a rock and fell down while I was coming here and I scraped my knees."

"Oh Will, will you ever stop getting hurt?" Anna asked, shaking her head. "Come in the house and I will clean up the scrapes."

The two walked inside the small, clean house and headed towards the bathroom. Once they got there, Anna picked up Will and put him on the counter next to the water basin. She grabbed a washcloth, placed it in the water in the basin, and put soap on it after she took it out of the water. Carefully, she dabbed at Will's cuts and started to clean them up.

Will sat their patiently as his mother cleaned his knees, but then remembered the letter and finished ripping it open. A large, golden medallion fell out of the envelope as Will pulled out the letter. It landed on the floor with a large thud, and scared Will's mother.

"Don't scare me like Will!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry, Mother. Do you mind picking up the necklace that dropped?"

Anna picked up the necklace and examined it. It had a large pirate skull in the center, with an intricate design surrounding it. It hung on a large chain that looked like it was made out of real gold. "Your father must have had a fight with a pirate ship and won. Look at this necklace," she said, handing it to Will. "It's magnificent. Your father's a brave man, Will. Fighting pirates, and even winning against them!" she exclaimed with a smile on her face.

Will looked at the necklace, and a smile crept upon his face as well. "He must be the best sailor ever!" His mother helped him put the necklace on, and it shone brightly in the light.

"Now I'll have a story to tell to all my friends! They'll be amazed!" Will said as he fingered the necklace.

"It will be a great story to hear. I can't wait until you father comes home and tells us all about it," Anna said as she continued to clean up her son's knees. "Now read the letter. Maybe it has something about how he got the necklace in it."

Will grabbed the letter that was lying next to him on the counter and started to read it out loud.

_Dear Will, _

_ I hope that you and your mother are doing well. I miss you all terribly, and I wish that I could come home soon, but we just got another shipment of supplies that needs to be sold, so I don't know when I will be coming home. Hopefully it will be in the next few months though. The necklace that I sent you came from a encounter that we had with pirates. We beat them, but barely. Most of our supplies were destroyed, so we had to get the other shipment, which is why our trip will be longer. This came from the captain, and I thought you would like it. I'll tell you and your mother more of the story when I get home. _

_ I don't have much time to write this letter, because we are leaving port in the next few minutes and I still have to find a place to send it to you. But just know that I love you and mother so much, and I hate that I am so far away from you, but this is my job. I'll see you soon, and I'll send more letters as soon as I can. I love you!_

_ You Father_

"I told you, Will! He won against a pirate ship. Not many men can say that they have been able to do that!" Anna exclaimed. "And he'll be home in the next few months! A much shorter trip than last time."

Anna, now done with cleaning up Will's knees, walked out of the bathroom and returned to her chair on the the front porch. Will got down from the counter and walked to his room. It had been his father's room when he was younger, and Will was happy that he had gotten this room as his own. He walked over to his desk and placed the letter inside of a drawer. This drawer contained all of his father's letters, and he cherished everyone of them. He knew that his father was a respectable man, but he did wish that he wasn't gone so often.

He glanced at the wooden ship that his father carved for him right before he left. His father had placed black sails on it, and Will wondered why. When Will asked his father about it, he said it was because he thought that too many sails were white. His father had also said to look out to the sea when he missed him, and he would always be right there.

He felt extremely happy now. His father still loved him! And he still missed him and wanted to be with him! _Maybe_, he thought, _I'll go looking for him, or I'll join him on his trips. That would be so much fun!_

Will left his room and ran out into the sweltering heat to go play with Scott and George again. He ran through the green grass and as he got closer to his friends, he saw that they were playing pirates again. He fingered his medallion once again, and joined his friends to play.

Once Will got his sword and started to fight with Scott, Scott noticed the shining necklace that Will had. "Hey Will. Where'd you get the necklace?"

Will looked down, but continued to fight. "It's a necklace that my father sent me. He got it off of a pirate captain when he won a battle against them!"

"Cool!" George exclaimed. "Now you can really be a pirate!"

"Arg! Surrender maties!" Will yelled, stabbing his sword at George.

The three boys fought with their wooden swords as the sun started to set. Little did Will know, his father was doing the same thing.


	2. Chapter 2

2 Years Later

"Mother, Mother! You can't leave me!" Will sobbed as he watched his mother grow paler and paler in her bed. His body racked as tears continued down his blotchy face and onto his chest. He squeezed his mother's hand tightly, hoping that it would keep her here.

"Will, you know that-that I lo-love you, right? Beca-cause I do," Anna coughed. With every cough, her face got paler and paler, and her voice softer and softer. She laid her head down on the pillow on her bed and looked up to the ceiling. "If...If your fa-father ever comes home, te-tell him that I love him dearly," she said as she had trouble breathing.

"Mother! Don't leave me! Hang on! Help will come!" Will cried. He ran his small hands through his brown hair, scared with what was going to happen. He started to quiver as he saw his mother slowly stop breathing. "Don't leave me, don't leave me," he whispered, sobs racking his body.

"I'm sorry, Will. I love you..." Anna's hand fell limp in Will's and her breathing stopped. Will felt paralyzed. His body started shaking, and he reluctantly let go of his mother's hand. He fell to the ground and leaned against the bed.

As his head rested on the wooden bed frame, he thought about what happened the day before.

*flashback*

"'Ello lass. How'd you like it if we got all your belongings here and took them away from you?" the dirty pirate asked Will's mother with a malicious glint in his eyes.

"Get away from here you damned pirate!" she yelled as she hit him over the head with the wooden broom that was in her hand. He fell to the ground with a thud, and fell unconscious once his head hit the ground. With no threat from a pirate at the moment, she ran into her son's room and shook him awake.

"Will! Wake up! Now!"

"Mother, I don't wanna wake up," Will drawled in his sleep.

"Now Will!" his mother said, shaking him awake. Taking the glass of water that was sitting on his nightstand, she threw it on him.

"I'm up!" he yelled. He rubbed the crust from his eyes as he saw his mother quickly packing a small bag with food and a pair of clothes.

"Take this and run! Don't come back until you see that ship with the black sails leave the harbor, okay? Whatever you do, do not come back until they've left!"

"Mother, will you be alright?"

She smile at her son. "I'll be fine, sweetie." A loud crash resounded through the room. "Now go!" she said, pushing him away and out the door.

*end flashback*

That was the last time he saw his mother when she was fine. She lied to him! She wasn't alright, she was never going to be alright.

A pirate had come into the house later that night and shot her, and she died a few hours after he came back home. He hated pirates so much now!

He started to cry into his sleeve, and sat there for the next hour, mourning for his mother. Once he stopped crying, he wiped his runny nose with his shirt.

That was when he saw it. The medallion that his father had given him a few years ago hung around his neck. He took hold of the gold in his hand, and traced the intricate designs on the necklace.

As his hands ran across the cool metal, he thought back to his letter that he had gotten with his medallion. It laid inside a drawer in his desk in his bedroom, and it was almost forgotten about. His father had not sent anymore letters after that, but Will thought it was because he was so busy, and so he was not mad at his father.

Will stood up and took one last look at his deceased mother. A lone tear fell down his red cheek. He stormed out the room and ran down to the town. Turning down an alley, he crashed into George.

"Will! Is everything alright?" George asked as he examined his best friend's face. His skin was a blotchy red, and his eyes were puffy.

"My mother died," Will said softly as he looked down to the dirt ground.

George's mouth hung open in shock. "Oh god...Will! I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay George. It's not you fault."

An awkward pause surround them until Will said that he had to go.

Will did not even wait for George's answer, but instead took off down the road and to the blacksmith's shop. He opened the wooden door with a loud creak, and searched around for the owner. The dust in the air made him choke and cough, but he persisted and continued to look for the man. At last, he found him working on a sword in the back room.

"Hello sir," Will said as she walked up to the burly man.

"Hello son. What can I help you with today?"

"Um...I was wondering if I would be able to get a job," Will said quickly.

"Why do you need this job?"

"My home life is getting hard and I wanted to help by getting some money for my family," Will lied.

If he told the blacksmith what truly happened, he might not get the job, and instead he might be sent to a foster home. Besides, the blacksmith would never hear of his mother. The people in his town ad a deep hatred for pirates, so they wouldn't talk about anything to do with them, not even death. He knew that he wouldn't get in trouble for the lie.

"Do you know the trade of a blacksmith?"

"No, sir. But I can learn."

"Hmmm. I am actually looking for an apprentice to help me, so I suppose that I can take you under. Come tomorrow."

"Thank you, sir," Will said. He turned around and left the man to finish his work, proud with himself that he got a job so quickly.

He did need money of his own if was going to search for his father.


	3. Chapter 3

_hey everyone! sorry this is such a late update_

_so I decided that since today's my birthday, I'm going to update everyone of my stories, maybe multiple times :) _

_I hope you all like the final chapter of A Change of Heart!_

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The blue water rolled the ship back and forth as it went forward in its journey to reach its destination. The ship created lasting ripples in the water in its wake, almost as if it was leaving a trail so someone could find them.

Bright sunlight shone over the ship and basked the people on it in warmth, while the clear, blue sky invited everyone outside on the deck to dance, sing, and have fun.

Will leaned on the rail on the edge of the deck, the coarse and splintered wood digging into his hands. He ignored the pain though, happy that he finally raised enough money to search for his father. 3 years later, and he had gotten enough money from his job to go on this trip. He had lived with George's family after his mother died, so they had given him so money too. He was entirely grateful for that. Without their help, it would have taken him much longer to raise the money.

His hands traced over the cool metal of the medallion his father had given him those three long years ago. Supposedly, his father made port in the Caribbean, so that was where he was headed. He was hoping to go there and find a person who knew his father, and maybe could take him to him.

As Will looked at the ocean below, the sky overhead was turning from it's original inviting blue color to a dark gray. Sunlight couldn't be found, and fog started gathering around the ship. Sensing the change in scenery, Will looked up. Past the fog, he could see a pirate ship with black sails. It was headed towards the ship, but then it disappeared in the fog.

Will ran from the edge of the ship to the captain. He pushed through hoards of people yelling, "Captain! Captain!" He finally reached the captain and tugged at his sleeve.

"What do you want, boy?" the Captain snarled.

"There's a pirate ship coming! It's over there!" Will exclaimed, pointing at the area where he had last seen this ship.

"What are you talking about, boy? There is no pirate ship. Leave me alone," he said as he pushed Will away.

"But-"

"No! I said leave me alone, so leave me alone!"

Will walked away in defeat. Try as hard as he might, he couldn't think of a way to make the old, testy Captain believe him. Deciding that he was getting very bored and he wanted to take a nap, Will went below deck to his hammock and soon fell asleep.

"Fire! Fire! Everybody overboard. C'mon, we need -"

Will woke up to a man yelling, but after a loud gunshot, Will couldn't hear him anymore.

Everyone was bustling around, trying to find there kids or lovers, and then they would run to the upper deck. Will started to become very hot, and sweat dripped down his forehead.

He could hear metal swords start clashing with each other, and he immediately knew what was wrong.

Pirates.

Real pirates were here, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to fight them! Maybe if he hid, he would be safe...

He jumped into empty barrel that was hidden behind the stairs. He heard people rush up the stairs, and the fighting still going on overhead between the crew and the pirates.

After a few minutes, two pirates came down the stairs.

To say he was petrified of them would be an understatement. His breathing became heavy and he felt like he was going to pass out. Sweat, from both the heat and panic, ran down his forehead, and he was getting very anxious.

"No ones down here. Let's just go. Obviously Barbossa's wrong, and the medallion isn't here," one said.

"You're right. This is all Barbossa's fault. If he didn't drown Will Turner, then we wouldn't be stuck in this hell hole!" the other exclaimed.

"Why do you still call him Will? It's Bootstrap Bill, and you know that."

"I grew up with him, mate. The name Will stays."

"Fine. But we need to get back to the Black Pearl before Barbossa leaves. The wretched captain will leave anyone behind."

Will was in shock. His father was dead, and that damned pirate captain killed him! Pure hatred for pirates appeared in his heart, and he made it his mission in life to kill every pirate that he crossed paths with. He would hurt the people that ruined his life!

The pirates left, and it was about 10 minutes before Will could hear the fighting stop. He thought that the pirates were gone, so he hopped out of the barrel and ran up the stairs.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

Bodies were strewn across the floor and blood was everywhere. He threw up right there, and he knew that he had to get out of there soon so that he didn't faint from all of the gruesome things around him.

He ran to the edge of the deck, avoiding fire and as many bodies as he could along the way. Staring down into the deep, dark blue waters of the ocean, fear overcame him.

What if he drowned? What if he died? Should he really jump over the edge? Would he even be saved at all after he jumped?

But he knew that if he stayed here, he would surely die. So, throwing all of the thoughts away, he jumped over the edge of the deck and felt the icy waters of the ocean consume him.

He used all of his strength to return to the surface. Seeing a large piece of wood near him, he climbed onto it and laid down.

The last thing that he saw before he passed out was that same large, black-sailed ship, sailing off into the distance.


End file.
